Is this worth doing?

[Snaggletooth]

You ever ask yourself that? How many times? Once in while or everytime another chance to improve it comes up?

 

I bought my '84 back about three years ago. It had been stored for nine years by the original owners son. His Dad had passed away and he kept the bike as it was all that time. He finally posted an ad and I found it. It had parts off of it stacked in boxes and it cranked but would not start. But looking it over I saw a bike that I would have for years to come. I liked these bikes when they first came out. They were the Victory Vision of the day. Big, different. weird looking with the Star Trek dashboard. Loved or hated them. Sound familiar?

 

But I stuck a deal the son and he trailered the bike and all it's pieces (and a service manual thank God!) the next week. My daughters jaw dropped when she saw it being rolled off the back to the trailer into my garage. "You paid money for THAT and it don't even run?" She thought I'd lost my mind. For a while there I had my doubts to. Until I got her fired up.

 

Over the last three years of ownership I have brought the old girl back to life and enjoyed a lot of miles on her. Things have been changed ... improved .... repaired ... replaced .... or in some cases created to make things right.

 

I have depended on this club and the "Junkyard of the Future" our beloved eBay along with the few guys here that supply parts for these bike of their own creation to find the answers and pieces to get this done. I've got Ford parts, Toyota parts, Honda parts and now even an item that originated from Germany I believe.

 

But today I was going through my records and found, not too much to my surprise that I have spent about the same amount on the things I have done to the bike as I spent for it the day I bought. Now that includes new tires, oils and the everyday stuff along with the odds and ends of used and NOS safety chrome, parts, upgrades and mods from this site.

 

So therefor the Question? Is this worth doing? IMHO.....Hell yes! I don't think I have hesitated more than a few seconds when a chance to impove this bike has come up. A good mod, or a NOS part that is needed, or something that made the bike more comfortable to ride on those long trips. I've had bikes in the past that I ground my teeth dull deciding if I would spend a few bucks on it. Not this one for some reason. It just gets done.

 

So seeing this club and the loyalty to these bikes...MKI...MKII...and even the 2nd gens, I know I'm not the only one out there to feel this way about these bikes. Thank God I'm not alone on this. I would sign myself up for a headshrink if I thought I was. LOL!

 

I've been eyeballing the 2nd gens myself. But even if that happens soon the '84 will stay in the stable. It's going to be around for a long time. Even my daughter says they will have to build a ramp into my grave.

 

So that said.......why have you guys hung onto your bikes and for how many years? Won't even go into the amount of bucks spent. We all know the answer to that.

 

Mike

 

The pic is from spring of '09. Still have some SS and aluminum at the fabricators. More to come.

[painterman67]

first off, nice bike. And for what its worth if you end up with a bike that suits you and you can still keep your bills up and eat and so forth, then who has the wright to say its not worth it.

 

 

As for me I'm in the mmiddle of redoing a little at a time my 91 vr. I love this bike but sat on a 2nd gen last weekend that I flat out fell in love with. Could have made a great deal on this bike, and it fit me like a well worn pair of gloves. Now that bike would ahve been worth it too but I couldnt afford to get it and pay the bills. Who knows in a year or so I mught find another that fits me that well.

 

 

Now dont get what Im saying wrong I do love Brandy( my 91). She fits well too.

 

 

David

[KarlS]

Putting a lot of money in my 83VR right now and in the next two months. Had to sell my 2003 GL1800 July of 07 and couldn't go without riding. Want to upgrade back up but after putting a little over 10,000 miles on the 83 last year figured the upgrade can wait and want to get the 83 more reliable, better millage and stopping better. I also decided that whenever the time is right to upgrade the 83VR will stay.

[Guest seuadr]

i know what you mean. i had a "is this worth it" moment last night around midnight.

 

I bought an 87 royale with 77k miles on it, for 1200 dollars. a steal, i know. this girl had been sitting for over 8 years. brand new elite 2's from 2002 on it, never got any miles on them. ( Incidentally, this moment came last night when i said screw the stealerships around here, i'll mount my own damn tires! ) 400+ dollars into the brake system (SS lines, R1 calipers thank skydoc!) rebuilt a bunch of stuff, went through all the electronics with a wire brush, contact cleaner, and scotch brite. replaced the elite 2's with elite 3's. In the process of completing the grease zert mod on the swingarm. spent a week rebuilding little plastic bits into bigger plastic bits so that i could build those into bigger plastic bits big enough i could glue them back to the fairings. when it's all said and done, without any "new" farkles or gizmos, i've easily spent 1000 more dollars on this bike than just the price, and there are still things i want to get done!

 

What i do know, though, is that a properly maintained bike like this will give me thousands of miles of therapy whenever i need them. I know that this bike will give my wife and i hundreds of new memories, and thousands of scenic pictures. when you look at it in the right light, this bike is saving me alot of money in the long run..

 

[Guest seuadr]

Putting a lot of money in my 83VR right now and in the next two months. Had to sell my 2003 GL1800 July of 07 and couldn't go without riding. Want to upgrade back up but after putting a little over 10,000 miles on the 83 last year figured the upgrade can wait and want to get the 83 more reliable, better millage and stopping better. I also decided that whenever the time is right to upgrade the 83VR will stay.

just a note for you, if you want better stopping, you can get it all in one package, give skydoc a pm and he will help you figure out what you need and can afford. i delinked my brakes, i'veot all new SS lines all around, and those r1 calipers grab like vice grips!

[DragonRider]

Just got back from 86er's M&E, did 314 Chilly, damp, sunny, overcast miles. This is the first long ride I have had on the Venture (83) in 15 months, I finally got it all back together after repaint, mounted a new rear tire, new brakes all the way around, and I dont regret one minute of it, it was worth the wait, she handled just like I remember but looks ten times better than she did when I pulled her apart. Next upgrade will be the R1 brakes up front, 86er did his and was a simple swap out..........look out ebay. I will have this bike for a long time along with my VStar 1300.

 

These old bikes have plenty of life left in them, just treat them right and they wont let you down.

[skydoc_17]

First off I wanted to thank seuadr for the kind words. I bought my first 86'VR in 1993, I currently have over 300,000 on VR's. I have owned 5 VR's that I have ridden and have had 4 others that have been parted out. I personally, have spent a LOT of money on two marriages, three houses, 6 children, two college degrees, (that were not mine) 4 crashed cars (kids, ya' gotta love um'!) and ONE divorce! Compared to all of that money, the money I have in my current 87"VR is a "drop in the bucket". Which brings me to my point, my father used to tell me, "Son, you can't buy a good time, it just happens". Well, I think I have come as close to "buying a good time", as I ever will, you see, every time I ride my VR, or take Jean for a ride, or ride to a Maint. day, or a Meet and Eat, or just out for a Ice Cream, I have a good time. I make new friends, I help people with their bikes. The time and the work and the love I put into my VR, and my kits and mods. brings me such a feeling of pride and joy that I have never felt with any other hobby. (obsession!) Plus the rewards for all of that time and work and love is that I get to ride many more miles. ANYONE can throw down a chunk of money and have a "Carbon Copy" bike just like every other person that threw down the same money. I for one have a hand crafted, one of a kind machine, that performs just the way I want, STOPS just the way I want, and handles, just the way I want. How can you put a price on FREEDOM like that?

Just my thoughts,

Earl

[Venturous Randy]

This month, my bike is 27 years old and this month I will have had it 14 years. It has about 129,000 miles on it and I have put about 106,000 on of those miles. I too, bought the bike from an owner that had done very little to it as he had it a little over a year and had put 109 miles on it.

I also have a fairly unique bike and have made a lot of changes, such as plastic mods and paint. It fits me very well, given my short inseam and is a strong running bike. The down side of all this for me is as I am going through this divorce and now paying immediate spousal support prior to the divorce and then alimony after the divorce, along with the tax changes in going from married to single, I have had about $350 a month take home come out of what I am living off of. Now, to some of you that may not be a big deal, but with all the other stuff I am paying for, like a big credit card bill she run up that I am currently making the payments on, the $12,000 second mortage loan I got a couple of years ago that paid off a credit card she ran up(see a pattern here?), it is going to get real tight.

But, in the theme of this post, is it worth it on the bike? I can not imagine going through all I have since mid November and what I know I will in the future if I did not have this bike to look forward to, plain and simple. I have almost wondered if this has helped keep me alive. I just really hope that in the future, I will not only be able to keep the bike, but I hope I will be able to enjoy riding it.

Good post snaggletooth.

RandyA

 

This is the picture from our 07 calender. Since then I put on the Corbin seat and armrests.

[beyeker]

You're wrong about one thing, that Venture was not the "Vision" of that day. It was a good looking bike then, and still is. The Vision is ugly today, and will be in the future.

[midnite]

As for the question is it worth it.We have a 2nd gen. just got it last Sept. Have a VStar1100 from before. Vacations weren't high on our list of priorities, with 3 children in college,mortgage, etc...That's when we bought the V Star, either that or kill each other, no vac. in 18 yrs. The bike give us a way to get away. But then that one was a little to small. The RSV is a perfect fit for the 2 of us, the mods I have done have made it our bike. The one we will have to enjoy for hopefully a long time to come. The money is short term, the memories, and the enjoyment that we get for as long as we can. The people we have meet here on the site, the commaraderie, the education is priceless.

[KarlS]

just a note for you, if you want better stopping, you can get it all in one package, give skydoc a pm and he will help you figure out what you need and can afford. i delinked my brakes, i'veot all new SS lines all around, and those r1 calipers grab like vice grips!

 

 

Bike was dropped off to Skydoc on March 5th for all his updates and other work also. Recovering from back surgery so can't do it myself so why not have the master do it at his "Little Shop by the Creek". Hopefully I can start riding after my Surgeon checks me out April 27th.

[Sheradan]

My 86, my parts bike, and the upgrades (skydocs brakes, clutch, carbs) and some new body parts etc. I'll have maybe $3000 into it. That is cheap for the bike I'll end up with. I even have a homelink system installed for our gate. No more remote in my pocket. When they make a bike that can run through the twisties, and have the comfort and goodies this one has, maybe I will concider it. Keep in mind, I also drive an 85 Towncar and a 95 Bronco. So it's gotta be great to get me out of what I like.

[Blue Giant]

You're wrong about one thing, that Venture was not the "Vision" of that day. It was a good looking bike then, and still is. The Vision is ugly today, and will be in the future.

 

 

I won't say the Vision is ugly or beautiful, but I will say it's unique!

 

[GigaWhiskey]

Dad and I rode together. He had a 79 Eleven Special with Full Vetter kit and he had stepped me up from a CB400-4 to an 80 XS11 Standard with Saddlebags and a trunk (fairing to have come later never did).

 

We saw the 83 Venture when it came out. PURE WOOD!!! Talked about replacing the XS's with those but that did not happen. Later he passed on.

 

Spotted the 85 VR at a dealer and in his favorite color. Had to have it, still do! And, with no plans on ever letting it go.

 

Love the goose it has and handles great (when the frame does not warble, fixed that). I think it is still an awesome looking bike beating most bikes of today. The brownie is the hottest color!

 

I did get totally disgusted with it once and let it sit out in the weather for a few years. It stopped running, plastic broken and rotting - you get the picture. THe reason I got disgusted was because I found it laying on its side in a parking lot. A car had knocked it over and left it there - no note. Fairing was all busted up, among other things as well as parts bent.

 

I kept looking at it, moving it from home to home on a trailer. Then I felt it is time to let it go as parts or do something with it. Found a little shop over by Denton, Texas that had a mechanic that was an actual Venture mechanic back in the day (came highly recommended) that got her running and inspect-able. Then after riding her again the love for her came back BIG.

 

I detail the Pizz out of her. I get tons of compliments (gotta love that). Almost no one has ever heard of one or seen one that I generally run into, even people that have been around bikes for a while.

 

From nice to grundge to what I feel looks HOT! See Image.

 

http://gallery.me.com/rturton/100013/100_3411/web.jpg?ver=12173883230002

[GigaWhiskey]

Oh forgot to answer the question.

 

YES

[Guest seuadr]

Bike was dropped off to Skydoc on March 5th for all his updates and other work also. Recovering from back surgery so can't do it myself so why not have the master do it at his "Little Shop by the Creek". Hopefully I can start riding after my Surgeon checks me out April 27th.

 

glad you are getting it upgraded

 

i'm only an hour and a half away if you need anything, and while i don't have all the cool tools, i have enough to get most things done, and lots of room

[capn eddie]

well Snaggletooth i have to say yes it has been worth the money. when i first bought it i payed 2700.00 and the bike had 15,000 miles an was in pretty good shape . the 1st owner sold it because his wife would not let him keep it after getting a new gold wing. since then i have spent around 1500.00 doing different mods. like clutch, r6 brake mod , new paint, and lets not forget dano's rotor and starter clutch mod. ( whitch will be here mon. or tues.) I have owned 34 different bikes so far and this 87 VR is by far the one i have liked the most. and to awnser a ? you asked what size impack gun i used to removed the rotor it was a old 1/2 inch black & decker i bought in 1974 and the hammer was a small ballpen ,i must just be luckey after what you had to go thru to remove yours. the pic with me on it is what it looked like when i first got it and the other after i painted it. since i painted it i have replaced the seat and back rest , arm pad with black ones. this bike will always have a home here i will maybe get another bike in the future but i will not sell this one . it now has 42,783

[PBJ]

Going on my third year with mine. Still love it. Is it worth it you bet . Especially considering that it still keeps up with bikes costing thousands of dollars more and years newer. But I've love the style of it since it came out in 83. When it came time for a touring bike it was my first choice. Also they were selling at great prices considering what you got for your money.

 

I also have an 84 v65 Sabre still running strong. Why sell them?

[Ottawa]

Yes yes yes is the answer.

 

For years I have wanted one but life has been busy. I found this sight a few years ago and the thoughts were planted. When my 83 came around I saw the beauty of the old girl. Man, did she need work. But, I did the work and with your help she was great. When the 85 came around in Dec. I had to jump on it. I was not planning to do much but I just can't help myself. Yes, a fresh paint would looook sooooo nice. Well, thats the thing that gets all of us with this bike. It's way more then just buying shinny stuff to add to it to a new bike. It's the love of the ride, the feel of the bike and the self worth we can feel knowing we build and maintained a fine bike.